Tag: rock

Mariana’s Trench | The Killing Kind

“Blending the energy and melodicism of pop-punk with theatrical pop ambitions and a progressive rock spirit, Canadian quartet Marianas Trench — named after the Pacific Ocean trench which is the deepest known spot in the world — rose to widespread popularity at the end of the 2000s thanks to platinum-selling concept albums like 2009’s Masterpiece Theatre and 2011’s Ever After,” (AllMusic). “With an increasing trend toward thematic grandeur and a growing worldwide audience, the Vancouver band continued to expand both their sound and commercial reach with the ’80s adventure film-themed Astoria in 2015 and the lush, haunted pop of 2019’s Phantoms.“

Reviewing Phantoms, MelodicMag adds: “Full of theatrical moments, textures, colors, and unconventional sounds … Reminiscent of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ (‘The Killing Kind’) sounds like multiple songs in one … Each section is like organized chaos. They build onto each other, while staying central to a certain theme or idea.”

Starting in B minor, the track ends in the relative major key of D major — but this seemingly straightforward shift is handled in an indirect fashion: a meandering path through a landscape constructed from equal parts 1970s Queen-style pomp and the gleaming grandeur of contemporary symphonic metal.

Gin Blossoms | California Sun

“An homage to the surf music the Beach Boys helped make so popular, this song is certainly one directly from the depths of Gin Blossom Jesse Valenzuela’s heart,” (Songfacts). “Jesse’s original role with the Gin Blossoms was as lead singer. He switched to guitar with the introduction of vocalist Robin Wilson to the band. Yet he was – and is – one of the band’s most prolific songwriters. While some artists may have a rough time of it allowing someone else to sing their words when they themselves are perfectly capable of doing it, Jesse says it doesn’t bother him.”

InnerEarMedia‘s review of the band’s 2006 album Major Lodge Victory has this to say about “California Sun,” the album’s closing track: “The easy-to-the-ears pop of the Gin Blossoms is like a warm blanket surrounding you and keeping you safe. That blanket only gets warmed more by ‘California Sun’ as the sweet pop song brings this great album to an appropriate end. Gin Blossoms leave us with a folk/pop song that could’ve come straight from the 70s (Eagles, America, etc.) and it makes you smile.”

Starting in E major, a bridge at 2:03 begins with a vocal section but then settles into a guitar feature. We’re led into a key change at 2:49 with an emphatic, extended V chord in the new key of F major, complete with richly textured backing vocals echoing the Beach Boys’ style. At 3:00, the final chorus is firmly established in the new key.

Roy Orbison | (Oh) Pretty Woman

Released by Roy Orbison in 1964 and co-written by Orbison and Bill Dees, “Oh, Pretty Woman” was later covered by Del Shannon, Al Green, Van Halen, Chris Isaak, Pomplamoose, and many others across multiple decades. Clocking in at less than three minutes, the tune became a #1 pop hit for Orbison in both the US and the UK. In fact, “in 1964, Orbison was the only American artist to have a #1 UK hit, and he did it twice — with ‘(Oh) Pretty Woman’ and ‘It’s Over'” (Songfacts).

“This was Orbison’s last big hit,” Songfacts continues. “His career faded fast, but was revived in the ’80s when prominent musicians like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and George Harrison cited him as an influence and invited him to join various projects. He was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and joined The Traveling Wilburys with Dylan, Tom Petty, Harrison and Jeff Lynne. As he was enjoying this career revival, he died of a heart attack on December 6, 1988 at age 52.”

Starting in A major, the chorus shifts to C major at 1:06 before reverting to the original key at 1:34; the pattern then repeats.

Tommy James + the Shondells | Crystal Blue Persuasion

“Some songs are written specifically for films or TV shows,” (American Songwriter) “Then there are those songs that seem like they’re tailor-made for just about any kind of filmed production. ‘Crystal Blue Persuasion,’ a mellow masterpiece from 1969 by Tommy James and the Shondells, falls into that latter category. … James proved to be a steady hitmaker for Roulette Records from the mid-60s on, deftly straddling the line between garage rock and bubblegum pop like few of his era. ‘As a songwriter, you’re always looking for interesting word combinations and stuff. And the title of this poem was Crystal Persuasion. I just thought that was a fascinating title. I had no idea what it meant, but it sounded very profound.’

Dozens of filmmakers have taken their turns interpreting “Crystal Blue Persuasion” pretty much since it first hit the Top 5 in 1969 … Tommy James is all right with all of it. ‘On Breaking Bad, it meant crystal meth,’ he laughs. ‘But I guess you take it where you can get it. I can’t believe the reach that song has had over the years. It’s really a magical little record …’”

The half-step modulation at 2:27 is preceded only by a hand percussion break — no surprise there, as the track had no drum set in its instrumentation. A feature probably intended for album listeners, as opposed to the radio audience, is a surprising double-time section at 3:36, which amps up the energy just as the volume fades; most DJs likely didn’t play the tune to the very end.

Grace Potter | Love Is Love

American singer Grace Potter released her third solo album, Daylight, in 2019, featuring “Love Is Love” as the first track. “Daylight is an incredibly unfiltered musical expression of who I want to be,” Potter said in an interview with Billboard. “It’s a journal. It’s really personal. It’s a very powerful feeling to become a mother, to fall in love and also to watch and experience love falling apart and say goodbye to an entire era of your life.”

The tune begins in Ab and shifts up a step to Bb following the second chorus at 1:54.

Steam | Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye

“Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” (1969) was written and recorded by Paul Leka, Gary DeCarlo and Dale Frashuer, attributed to a then-fictitious band they named “Steam”. It went all the way to #1 in late 1969. It was Billboard‘s final multi-week #1 pop hit of the 1960s, but also peaked at #20 on the soul chart. The track also went into the top 10 in Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK. By the beginning of the 21st century, sales of “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” had exceeded 6.5 million records, reaching multi-platinum record status (Rolling Stone).

“But in 1977, as legend has it, the organist for the Chicago White Sox, Nancy Faust, started playing it when opposing pitchers were yanked from the game. The crowds began to chant along with the music, and a great taunt was born. Now (it’s) the anthem of taunt, sung in many languages and many sports, among them politics,” (Washington Post).

Songfacts provides more detail: “When this song became a hit, an entire album was commissioned and a group created for it, also with the name ‘Steam.’ But DeCarlo wasn’t invited to tour with it, even though he had recorded it. Indeed, he “was asked not to reveal that it was him on the record, since there was a different singer performing it at live appearances.” DeCarlo tried to capitalize on the song’s success as he continued his musical career, but was unsuccessful.

The tune starts with a distinctive vibes feature on the intro, followed by the iconic chant chorus, right out of the gate (C minor). The first verse (C major) runs from 0:17 – 0:48; the chorus then returns in the original key and the pattern holds throughout.

Marc Cohn | Walk Through This World

Asked in an interview with Goldmine about the origins of his music career, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Marc Cohn answered: “I didn’t have any other choice. I just didn’t have a choice. This is what connected with me from the time I was 7 or 8 years old, when I first heard The Beatles and The Stones, and Van Morrison and The Band. It wasn’t just that I liked it. I was obsessed with it. And I had an older brother who played piano and had a band that practiced in our basement, so I got to hear what Motown sounded like, and what Burt Bacharach sounded like, three feet away. My brother had a great ear, and he got most of the chords right, and it was just an obsession from the very beginning. And it was also an escape. And I had some ability. I could always sing, and I found I could write some words, too. It was just to be, I guess. I wouldn’t know what the hell else I’d do. It’s the thing that I was obsessed with for as long as I can remember — making records and writing songs.”

Best known for his top-40 hit “Walking in Memphis” (1991) from his platinum-selling eponymous debut album, Cohn won a Grammy for Best New Artist in 1992. Utica, NY’s Observer-Dispatch describes Cohn’s material: “emotionally stirring compositions, deeply personal yet universal, and his easy, husky voice [have] earned him a devoted following and a reputation as a musician’s musician.”

Built in C major overall, “Walk Through This World” (1993) features an instrumental break (2:35 -2:56) which modulates to Bb major before reverting to the original key.

Owsley | Coming Up Roses

Owsley was born William Reese Owsley III in 1966 in Alabama. According to his website, “he was raised in a musical household; his mother was a singer and stage actress, his father the drum major for the marching band of University of Alabama, his sister a classically trained pianist and his brother a rock guitarist.”

In his early 20s, he moved to Nashville to work as a touring guitarist. At the same time, he worked on writing his own material. In seeking a record deal, he made sure to emphasize that he didn’t want a record label shifting the emphasis of his work: “I had heard the story of Tom Scholz of the band Boston recording his first album and taking it to the record company, where he told them that it was finished and they could take it or leave it. And I thought, ‘What a cool idea!’ I didn’t want anyone else coming between me and what I was trying to accomplish.” Owsley also worked as a guitarist, backing vocalist, songwriter and producer with artists including “Charlotte Church, Kenny Loggins, Amy Grant, Michael McDonald and Rodney Crowell. He also wrote and produced for many Disney stars – among them Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, and the Jonas Brothers – and went back on the road as a guitarist for Amy Grant’s touring band. He once described himself as having moved ‘not up or down in the music industry, but sideways.'” He died at the painfully early age of only 44.

After a start in C minor, the chorus for “Coming up Roses” (1999) shifts to C major at 0:29. At 0:55, verse 2 reverts to C minor. The pattern continues throughout, with strings and a catchy wordless sing-along hook joining the mix as the fade ending leads us down a Beatle-esque path.

Thin Lizzy | Do Anything You Want to Do

“If you want to see the platonic ideal of a rock band, go to YouTube and search ‘Thin Lizzy Rainbow 1978’,” (The Guardian) ” You’ll find the band’s classic lineup … in full flight, and even the degradation of old dubbed recordings can’t diminish their power. Gorham and Robertson flank Lynott, the trio in motion, the two guitarists criss-crossing and taking to the monitors, Lynott in the centre, bass held high, a beautiful, heavy-lidded man half seducing his audience and half assaulting it.”

The Irish rock band is probably best known for their 1976 release “The Boys are Back in Town,” which was a top 10 hit in the UK, Ireland, and the US; it placed 272 on the 2021 edition of Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list.

1979’s “Do Anything You Want to Do,” from the album Black Rose: A Rock Legend, reached #25 on the Irish charts and #14 in the UK. The tune starts in a de-tuned G major, shifts to Bb major at 1:37, then alternates again between the two keys.

Boz Scaggs | Look What You’ve Done To Me

“Look What You’ve Done To Me” was originally written for the 1980 motion picture Urban Cowboy. Penned by Scaggs and legendary producer David Foster, the tune peaked at #14 on the Billboard Top 100, and features background vocals by The Eagles.

The song fluctuates between E minor for the verses and instrumental interludes, and its relative major, G, for the choruses.